Golden Knights make move for another first-round pick
The first of what is expected to be several moves by the Golden Knights was made before Saturday’s noon deadline for transactions before the NHL Expansion Draft.
Several reports have the Knights obtaining Columbus’ first-round draft pick, the 24th overall, in exchange for bypassing in selecting a Blue Jackets player from a short list. Included on that list are backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, forward Josh Anderson and defenseman Jack Johnson.
Instead, the Knights would pick from forward Matt Calvert, defenseman Ryan Murray and center William Karlsson. The Knights also might have to obtain injured veteran forward David Clarkson in a separate deal. He is scheduled to make $5.25 million next season, even though he might not play again because of back problems.
The Columbus Dispatch first reported the news. The Knights are not commenting on any trade rumors or deals until after Wednesday’s reveal of the 30-man roster at T-Mobile Arena.
The deal would give the Knights two first-round picks in Friday’s Entry Draft in Chicago. They already have the No. 6 overall pick.
There wasn’t much activity that was confirmed Saturday. The biggest deal saw Arizona ship veteran goaltender Mike Smith to Calgary for Flames goalie Chad Johnson, unsigned prospect Brandon Hickey and a conditional third-round draft pick.
With the trade moratorium now underway, teams can discuss trades only with the Golden Knights beginning at 7 a.m. Sunday after the NHL has released the lists of protected players for all 30 teams. Deals with the Knights can be made until 5 a.m. Thursday.
Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.
